Shoe with interlaced upper elements



y 1941- v F. w. OCHS 2,240,626

SHOE WITH INTERLA CED UPPER ELEMENTS F1l ed Dec. 21, 1938 a 3 Sheets-Sheet l y 9 F. w. OCHS v 2,240,626

SHOE WI'I H- INTERLACED" UPPER ELEMENTS Filed Dec. 21, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WVEA/TUAY W 4% WA y 19 1- w. OCHS V SHOE WITH INTERLACED UPPER ELEMENTS Filed Dec. 1958 a Sheets-Sheet :s

Patented May 6, 1941 UNITED STATE.

S PATENT OFFICE aziolcze SHOE WITH INTERLACED UPPER ELEMENTS Frederick W. Ochs, Boston, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J1, a corporation of New Jersey Application December .21, 1938. Serial No. 246,934

6 Claims.

which are crossed and interlaced are well known in the art and have many advantages which make such shoes desirable. In the manufacture of such shoes it is the common practice to fabricate the uppers by interweaving or interlacing the strips and, in the process of interweaving them, to thread them through openings in the sole of the shoe so as to secure the uppers to the soles as the uppers are being fabricated. This method is expensive inasmuch as manual operations are required not only for interlacing the strips but also for securing them to the sole. Moreover, because of difficulties involved in the interlacing operations, the shoes are commonly made off the last and even when the operations are performed by experts the shoe uppers cannot be shaped with accuracy and uniformity in any way comparable to the results obtainable by modern lasting methods.

One object of the present invention is to provide a shoe the upper of which comprises interlaced strip portions closely resembling those of shoes of the type above referred to and. in the manufacture of which ordinary lasting methods may be practiced and customary lasting machinery employed.

With this object in view, the invention comprises the improvements in construction hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which v Fig. 1 is a plan view of the left part of a twopart vamp employed in the manufacture of my improved shoe;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the right part of the two-part vamp;

Fig, 3 is a plan view of the vamp lining;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the left part of a twopart quarter employed in my improved shoe;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the right part of the two-part vamp;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the left part of a twopart quarter lining;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the right part of the quarter lining;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the right and left vamp parts showing the parts assembled and some of the tongues in the toe portion of one vamp part interlaced with the tongues of the other vamp part;

Fig. 9 is .a plan view of aumtary upper. com-;

prising the right and left vamp parts and the right and left quarter parts and having interlaced tongue portions at the toe and at both sides of the instep portion of the upper;

Fig. 10 is a, fragmentary sectional view along the line X--X of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary plan View of a portion of the upper shown in Fig. 10 but illustrating the use .of alternative means for securing to- ,gether the free ends of the tongues;

Fig. 12 is a perspective View of my improved shoe in the course of manufacture showing the upper parts assembled and mounted together with an inner-sole upon a last, the margin of the upper being secured in overlasted position upon the insole and a portion of the overlasted margin having been trimmed; Fig. 13 is a top plan view of the completed shoe;

Fig. .14 is a view in side elevation of the completed shoe;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line XV-XV of Fig. 14; and

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 but showing a modified shoe bottom construction.

In making my improved shoes, as herein illustrated, I provide a two-part vamp comprising a left partiB (Fig. 1) and a right part l8 (Fig. 2), a vamp lining 20 (Fig. 3), a two-part quarter comprising a leftpart 22 (Fig. 4) and a right part 24 (Fig. 5). and a two-part quarter lining comprising a left part 26 (Fig. 6) and a right part 28 (Fig. '7), These parts may be cut from leatheror other suitable material by means of dies shaped to form the outlines shown in the several figures referred to. ,tions of the vamp parts 16 and I8 are cut, or

The forward porslit (as by a die-cutting operation which preferably would be performed subsequently to that which determines the outlines of the parts) each into a series of narrow strip-like tongues comprising a series of tongues 30 on the left vamp part [6 and a corresponding series of tongues 32 on the right vamp part Hi, the tongues 30 being adapted, when the two vamp parts are assembled, to extend across and to be interlaced with the tongues 32 so as to form at the toe 3 wire staple 45. r b; b in Fig. 8 may be interlaced with the tongues C-C of the toe portion of the respective part (see Figs. 1 and 2). The other tongues of each part, Which may be referred to as the inner tongues, are narrower than the tongues 3|. When the two vamp parts are assembled, the tongues 3| and the end portions of the inner tongues 30, 32 constitute a lasting allowance for attachment to the insole of a shoe as will be hereinafter explained. Advantageously, in the same die-cutting operation as that above described, the rear portions of the vamp parts l6 and I8 are cut into narrow strip-like tongues comprising a series of tongues 34 on the left vamp part l6 and a corresponding series of tongues 3% on the right vamp part 13, the tongues 34 and 36 being adapted, when the vamp parts are assembled with the quarter parts 22 and 24, to extend across and be interlaced with a series of tongues 38 on the quarter part 22 and a series of tongues 40 on the quarter part 24, respectively, so as to formatoppo'site sides of the instep of the upper the interlaced portions 42,. 42 shown in Figs. 9 to 13, inclusive. The individual tongues on the vamp and quarter parts are separated by narrow slits or elongated notches 44 which in every case extend inwardly from the edge of that portion of the part which is to constitute the. lasting allowance or lasting margin of the part and is to be inturned between inner and outer soles of the shoe and each tongue is integrally connected at its inner extremity with the body portion of the part from which it has been out. As shown, all the tongues are so disposed relatively to the parts'in which they are formed as to extend diagonally with;

respect to the lasting margin of theupper formed by the assembly of the various parts andthe tongues 30 in the forward portion of thevamp part I6 slope in a direction substantially at. right angles to the direction of slope of theitongues in the vamp part l8 so that when the parts 16 and I8 are assembled the tongues 30 may be inthe tongue 3| by means of a staple 46. After all of the tongues in the toe portions of the vamp parts have been interlaced, the toe portion of the vamp will appear as indicated in Fig. 9, there being a row of staples securing together the end portions of the tongues 32 of the vamp part l8 and extending through the outer tongue 3| of the part i6. Some of the staples 46 also extend through the end portion of the tongues 30 of the part 5 and through the outer tongue 3| of the vamp part l8 and thus all of the tongues of the entire toe portion of the vamp, including the outer tongue 3|, will be securely held in interlaced relation. The quarter parts 22 and 24 are next assembled with the two-part vamp, as illustrated in Fig.9, the tongues 38 of the quarter part 22 being progressively interlaced with the tongues 34 of the vamp part l6 and the tongues 40 of the quarter part 24 being progressively interlaced with the tongues 36 of the .vamp part I8, and suitablefastenings, such as .wireistaples 48, being inserted through the ends .of'the interlaced tongues to hold the tongues in place. vIt .is not essential, however, that staples .or other fastenings be inserted during the progre'ss of the interlacing ;of the straps, since it has been found practicable to interlace all of the tongues in the too or in the side portions of the upper and thereafter to secure the end portions of the interlaced tongues in place by a single continuous line of stitching, such as the stitching 49 shown in Fig. 11.

After the vamp and quarter parts have been assembled and the tongues of these parts have been interlaced and their end portions stapled or" otherwise fastened in place to prevent the tongues from becoming unlaced during subsequent handling of the upper and while the upper ;is still in a flat condition, as in Fig. '9, I-prefer to terlaced or interwoven with the tongues 32 to produce the described woven effectishownlat' 33 Similarly, the angles of 1 (Figs. 12, 13 and 14). slope of the tongues in the rear portionsiof the vamp parts and the forward portions of the quarter parts are such that when the vamp rand quarterv parts are' assembled the tongues 34 and 36 of the vampparts will be disposed substantially at right angles to the tongues 38 and 40, respectively, of the quarter parts.

The various upper parts having been provided .and'prepared as above described they are assembled to provide a unitary upper of such a character that it may be lasted and its margins secured in overlasted position upon an insole on a last by ordinary lasting operations and: by

the tongues designated a, a in Fig. 8, may first be interlaced with the tongues 30 and the tongue -3| of the part l6 and at the completion of this interlacing the outer ends of the tongues a, a

may be secured together and to the said tongue 3| by any suitable-fastening means, such as 2. Next, the tongues designated of the part l6 after which the ends of the tongues bib are secured together at their ends and to apply a temporary reinforcing patch 50 to the outer side of the interlaced toe portion of the vamp. Advantageously the patch .may consist of a thin sheet of transparent material, such as Cellophane, coated on one side with a suitable adhesive whereby the patch may be readily secured to thetongues of both parts of the upper ,m'erely by the pressure incident to the laying of the patch upon the upper. The. patch will engage all of the tongues constituting'the portion of the upper to which the patch islapplied and thus the patch will'serve to prevent distortion or relative displacement of the tongues under the strains-incident 'to the lasting of the upper and thus to insure that the tongues will .be evenly and uniformlyspaced in the finished shoe. If desired, similarpatches maybe over- 7 been completed, and preferably before the outsole hasibeen applied since, by removing the patch at this stage of operations; it does not become engaged by the outsole stitches and consequently does not haveto be cut away; along the line of the crease between the .uppergand the sole. 1 .i

The rear edges of the quarter parts'22 and 24 are .united by a back seam and the quarter lining parts 26; and 28, after being stitchedtogether along theirrear edges, are secured'to thequ'arter by the lines of'stitches indicated at 52 in Fig. 14. The vamp lining 20 is then" stitched in placeas indicated. in Fig. 13. 'If desired, a

the

counter stiffener 56 may be inserted between quarter and the quarter lining.

The upper is now assembled with an insole 58 upon a last 60 and the shoe is ready to be lasted by the use of customary lasting machinery. Advantageously the shank and forepart of the shoe may be lasted by means of a side lasting machine such, for example, as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,796,451, granted March 17, 1931, upon application of George Goddu, the margin of the upper including the interlaced tongue portions thereof being secured in overlasted position upon the insole by means of curved staples 62, as shown in Figs. 12 and 15. The heel and toe portions may be lasted by the use of a, bed lasting machine such, for example, as that disclosed in UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 2,117,331, granted May 17, 1938, upon application of- J. C. Jorgensen, the marginal portions of the upper being secured in overlasted position upon the insole by means of tacks 64 at the heel end and by means of tacks 66 at the toe. It has been found, however, that where the interlaced tongue portions of the upper are secured together by means of stitches or staples, it is practicable to secure those portions of the margin of the upper in overlasted position upon the insole solely by means of cement. After the lasting has been completed, the overlasted upper margin is preferably trimmed just inside the line of lasting fastenings, as indicated at 68 in Fig. 12. A shank stiffener Hi may be applied to the insole as illustrated and the tacks used to secure the insole to the last are removed before any bottoming operations are performed.

The shoe may now be finished in any suitable manner. In. accordance with one advantageous method of finishing the shoe I may proceed at this stage of operations by laying a middle sole r 12 (Fig. 15), removing the last and securing the middle sole to the bottom of the shoe by means of stitches it which, as shown, extend through the middle sole, the overlasted margin of the upper, and the insole. through each of the tongues in both the quarter and vamp parts of the upper and serve positively to hold the tongue portions of the upper in place throughout the life of the shoe. An outsole T5 is next laid and secured to the margin of the middle sole (which, as shown, projects outwardly beyond the upper) by means of outseam stitches 78. A heel 8B is then attached and the usual finishing operations are performed.

In accordance with another method of finishing the shoe, as illustrated in Fig. 16, a welt 82 may be secured by means of stitches 84 to the upper I6 and the insole 58 and the outsole 16 stitched or cemented to the Welt.

Inasmuch as shoes made in accordance with my improved method are lasted in the same mannor as shoes having the usual full uppers, the shoes will have the same foot-fitting qualities as ordinary shoes. The through-and-through stitches employed for securing the upper to the insole extend through the outer end portions of the various strips comprising the upper and insure against the possibility of any of the strips becoming loosened or separated from the shoe bottom during the wearing of the shoe. The shoes are of sturdy construction and are neat and attractive in appearance, having all the style features and other advantages of hand-made shoes of the well-known Mexican Huarache type. I'he shoes are particularly adapted for sport- These stitches M pass.

wear inasmuch as the open-work construction of their uppers makes them especially cool and comfortable.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A vamp comprising two parts each having a toe portion divided into a series of narrow tongues integrally connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of the respective part, the tongues of each of said parts extending diagonally with respect to the center line of the toeportion thereof and the tongues of one part extending substantially at right angles to and being interlaced with those of the other part, each of said parts having an outer tongue portions of which are wider than the other tongues of that part and substantially the entire length of which is located at one side only of the center line of the toe portion of that part, and the outer ends of the inner tongues of each part being attached to the outer tongue of the other part to constitute a lasting allowance for attachment to the insole of a shoe.

2. A vamp comprising two parts each having a toe portion divided into a series of narrow tongues integrally connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of the respective part, the tongues of each of said parts extending diagonally with respect to the center line of the toe portion thereof and the tongues of one part extending substantially at right angles to and being interlaced with those of the other part, each of said parts having an outer tongue portions of which are wider than the other tongues of that part and substantially the entire length of which is located at one side only of the center line of the toe portion of that part, and the outer ends of the inner tongues of each part being attached to the outer tongue of the other part by a series of staple fasteners arranged to secure directly to one another adjacent inner tongues of one vamp part as well as to secure said tongues to the outer tongue of the other vamp part.

3. A vamp comprising two parts each having a toe portion divided into a series of narrow tongues integrally connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of the respective part, the tongues of each of said parts extending diagonally with respect to the center line of the toe portion thereof and the tongues of one part extending substantially at right angles to and being interlaced with those of the other part, each of said parts having an outer tongue portions of which are wider than the other tongues of that part and substantially the entire length of which is located at one side only of the center line of the toe portion of that part, the outer ends of the inner tongues of each part being attached to the outer tongue of the other part to constitute a lasting allowance for attachment to the insole of a shoe and each vamp part having a side portion divided into a series of narrow tongues connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of the part and extending in the same directions as the tongues in the toe portion of that part for interlacing engagement with corresponding tongues formed on a quarter part.

4. A shoe upper comprising two vamp parts and two quarter parts, each of said vamp parts having a toe portion divided into a series of narrow tongues integrally connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of the respective part, the tongues of each of said vamp parts extending diagonally with respect to the center line of the toe portion thereof and the tongues of one of said vamp parts extending substantially at right angles to and being interlaced with those of the other vamp part and each of said vamp parts having an outer tongue portions of which are wider than the other tongues of that part and substantially the entire length of which is located at one side only of the center line of the toe portion of that part and to which the outer ends of the inner tongues of the other part are attached to constitute a lasting allowance for attachment to the insole of a shoe, and each vamp part having also a side portion divided into a series of tongues connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of that part and extending in the same directions as the tongues in the toe portion of that part, and each of said quarter parts having its forward portion divided into a series of narrow tongues integrally connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of that part, the tongues of said quarter parts being interlaced with the tongues in the rear portions of the vamp parts and the outer ends of the tongues of the quarter parts being secured to the outer ends of the tongues in the rear portion of the vamp parts.

5 A shoe comprising an upper, an innersole and an outer sole, said upper comprising two vamp parts each having a toe portion divided;

into a series of narrow tongues integrally connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of the respective part, the tongues of each of said parts extending diagonally with respect to the center line of the toe portion thereof and the tongues of one part extending substantially at right angles to and being interlaced with those of the other part and each of said parts having an outer tongue portions of which are wider than the other tongues of that part and substantially the entire length of which is located at one side only of the center line of the toe portion of that part, the outer tongue of each of said parts together with the outer end portions of the inner tongues which extend substantially at right angles thereto being inturned'between the marginsof theinsole and the outsole, anda line of through-and-through stitches securing'together the insole and the outsole and said inturned portions of said tongues.

' 6. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole, and an outsole, said upper comprising two vamp parts and two quarter parts, each of said vamp parts having a toe portion divided into a series of narrow tongues? integrally connected at their inner iends only with the body portion of the respective part, the tongues of each of said vamp parts extending diagonally with respect to the center line; of the toe portion thereof and the tongues of one of said vamp parts extending substantially at right angles to and being interlaced withjthose of the other vamp part and each of said vamp parts having'an outer tongue portions of which are .wider than the other tongues of that partand substantially the entire length of which is located at one side only of the center line of the toe portion of that part and each of said vamp parts having also a side portion divided intoa series of tongues connected at their inner ends onlywith the body portion of that part and extending in the same direction as the tonguesin the toe portion of that-part, and each of said quarter parts having its forward portion divided into a series of narrow tongues integrally connected at their inner ends only with the body portion of that part, the tongues of said quarter parts being interlaced with the tongues in the rearportions 'of said vamp parts, and said outer tongues of said vamp parts together with the outer end portions of the inner tongues of the toe portions of said vamp parts and the outer end portions of the tongues of the rear portions of said vamp parts and of the tongues of said quarter parts being inturned between the margins of the insole and the outsole, and a line of through-and-through stitching securing together the insole and the outsole and the inturned portions of said tongues.

FREDERICK W. OCHS. 

